MINIMALISM
5 Ways To Start Decluttering When You’re Overwhelmed
How to build momentum, finally.
I grew up in the most cluttered of houses.
OK, not Hoarders-level, but there were rooms where we had to clear a path just to reach the door. It was like machete-ing one’s way through a jungle of toys and paperwork and “But keep it just in case!” accessories.
For better or worse, when it comes to persistent clutter and the challenge of starting to deal with it, I know whereof I speak.
And I also know we all understand in principle that decluttering is a prudent thing to do.
It helps free up space, relieve stress, and perhaps even change our relationship with material things for good.
However, getting rid of a lifetime of junk is a tall order, and the hardest part is simply getting started. Otherwise, it would already be gone!
Through personal trial and error, both in my own home and with friends and family, I’ve found a few tricks that may help you get the ball rolling.
1. Remind yourself that things can go away
It sounds obvious, but it’s surprisingly hard to remind yourself that you really can let go of things that are no longer useful. Seriously, it’s OK.
Sometimes we feel guilty about what we perceive as squandering our purchases. It’s as though the act of purchasing implied a lifelong commitment.
The truth is that things are there to serve us. We are not there to serve them.
When their useful life is ended, it’s completely reasonable to let them go without so much as a twinge of guilt.
The money is gone and unlikely to come back, but the space and the mental lightness are yours to reclaim.
2. Find the ugliest item in each room
This sounds a bit like a game and, well, it is.
We all have that tacky vase or gaudy serving platter that nobody actually wants to see or use. Whatever “that thing” is, you’ll simply pick it out in each room, and donate or discard it.
The aesthetic improvement is nice, but the real value is momentum. It’s a simple and painless kickstart.
By simply acknowledging that some of your items are not even pleasant, and aren’t remotely worth their space, it will feel natural to take the first step toward a tidier home.
3. Skip the sale, for now
It’s well known that financial investment leads to psychological investment. That makes it easy to care for important things, but comes back to bite us when it’s time to deal with unimportant things.
Time and again, I’ve seen people struggle to declutter because they were unhappy with the prices their things could get on Craigslist and the like.
Unfortunately, market value is usually much less than sentimental value.
So, for now, skip selling anything that won’t quickly and easily fetch at least one hour’s worth of your pay.
That’s a bit of a harsh cutoff, but remember, the point is not to hold inventory while awaiting the right buyer. The point is to build momentum, now!
What about expensive items that could fetch a decent secondhand price? Again, think in terms of returns on time. If it takes a couple hours to clean and photograph and list, then several hours more to meet with skeptical buyers…then either donating or selling dirt-cheap may yield better returns on your time—all while preserving your decluttering momentum.
Pardon the interruption, but if you're with me this far, then consider joining through this referral link to see *everything* Medium has to offer!4. Put your money where your mouth is
We all hate to lose money over nothing, and rightly so.
However, you can twist this into a powerful motivational tools. It’s a little extreme, and not the right choice for everyone, but bear with me.
First, find a friend or family member whom you trust completely.
Next, figure out an amount of money that would be a little bit painful to lose. That might be $5 or $50 or $500. It’s all relative.
Get that money in cash, place it in an envelope, and hand that to your trusted friend. Also in the envelope is the name of the room that you resolved to have declutter and the date by which it will happen.
The stakes? All the cash in the envelope.
I’m sure you see where this is going.
Your friend will confirm, whether in person or over video, whether that room is in fact decluttered on that deadline.
If so, well done. The cash is yours again.
If not…well, you’ve just bought your friend something nice.
If that’s still not enough motivation, then you could even instruct your friend to donate it to a cause you vehemently oppose…like that no-good political party or indefensible special interest. If that isn’t a kick in the pants, I don’t know what is.
5. It’s a family affair
It’s important to have the whole family on board with any decluttering project.
When you’re struggling to get the ball rolling, setting aside time for a family decluttering activity may be just the ticket.
If your spouse or roommate or children are even more reluctant to let go than you are…this may backfire. Proceed with caution.
But if the prevailing sentiment in your house is that it’s time to lighten the load, then it’s helpful to build off each other’s energy and momentum.
Plus, when you inevitably get hung up on a sentimental item that has long since served its purpose, it helps to have a friendly word of encouragement to keep moving forward.
A kick-start, not a solution
It’s important to learn to trust the process. But even getting into “the process” requires that first step. And as we all know, that’s the (mentally) hardest part of any worthwhile endeavor.
Clutter and decluttering both reflect your relationship with possessions and money.
Righting the ship requires intrinsic motivation and shifts in mindset, which none of these suggestions will provide. But what they can do is set you in motion.
I often find that forcing tangible results just once, by any means necessary, helps us prove to ourselves that decluttering is doable and we’re not captive to former ways of living.
And that’s really when the magic happens.
Joining Medium is a great way to support this work and keep it coming. When you use my referral link below, Medium sends me a small thank-you at no additional cost to you.
